Function of the histone demethylase PHF8 in neural progenitor cells and glial differentiation

Taking into consideration the current knowledge about the subjects treated, several goals were proposed for this PhD thesis in order to further understand PHF8 function in both astrocytes and neural stem cells biology. To do that, we determined the following objectives: 1. To investigate the role of PHF8 histone demethylase during astrocytes differentiation. • Analyse the PHF8-mediated transcriptional profile in astrocytes. • Determine the chromatin bound regions of PHF8 in astrocytes. • Elucidate astrocytes phenotype upon PHF8 depletion. • Examine astrocytic PHF8 function during synaptogenesis. • Determine the molecular mechanism responsible for the PHF8- associated phenotype in astrocytes. 2. To elucidate the function of PHF8 in neural stem cells. • Examine neural stem cells phenotype upon PHF8 depletion. • Determine the PHF8-mediated transcriptional profile in neural stem cells. • Analyse the metabolic impact of PHF8 depletion